Album reviews: Deena, The Bad Plus, Future Islands

Longtime fans of Hoboken music ought to recognize Deena Shoshkes as the frontwoman of the Cucumbers, an outfit that paired B-52's-style whimsy with profound romantic uncertainty. Shoshkes is still preoccupied with affairs of the heart, but on the country-pop "Rock River," her lovely new solo set, she approaches passion, dissatisfaction and longing with the discerning eye of a survivor. Her believable, sympathetic characters reread love letters in a desperate attempt to fan the flames, work a good cry into their Sunday routines and reconcile themselves to the perils of physical distance; even Superman, it seems, is having trouble with his wife. These stories have been paired with some of the warmest melodies of Shoshkes' career and the crispest instrumental performances that ever have backed her up. The radiant "We'll Take It From There," the sauntering "Heart Full of Now" and the delicate "Comes With Kisses" feel like sonic expressions of emotional states, and for the first time in her career, Shoshkes, who still sings with the innocence of a blushing schoolgirl, handles her ballads as skillfully as her impish upbeat numbers. Producer Rob Friedman decorates "When I Fall" and "Bring It All," two of the best songs here, with weeping steel guitar; hopefully he'll be there on Saturday night when Shoshkes officially releases "Rock River" at Tierney's in Montclair.

— Tris McCall

The Rite of Spring
The Bad Plus (Sony Masterworks)

When jazz trio the Bad Plus takes on Stravinsky's modern masterpiece, its members stay faithful to the notes and the mood but still make the work feel fresh and invigorating with creative, highly effective arranging and full-throttle energy. A percussive tone that sounds like a heartbeat growing louder and more persistent underscores the opening's languid solos, adding tension to its calm-before-the-storm feel. Plucked bass and shimmering cymbal add sensuousness to the "Spring Rounds" and drum rolls set up the foreboding "Evocation of the Ancestors." The sparseness of the trio, compared with a full orchestra, helps the percussion give an extra jolt to the accents of "The Augurs of Spring" and the "Dance of the Earth." A few embellishments seem to have been added. But often, the performance gets its vibrancy from subtle changes in phrasing and choices as to what details to emphasize — a trill here, an extended note there — in a way that shows reverence for the piece even as the musicians give it a wild, boisterous performance.

— Ronni Reich

Singles
Future Islands (4AD)

Popular music may be a fragmented beast, but an appearance on a late-night talk show can still catapult an obscure group to mass recognition. Baltimore synthpop combo Future Islands attracted widespread attention for a take on "Seasons (Waiting on You)" in which frontman Samuel T. Herring's passion took him right to the edge of absurdity. He said he was just doing what he always did: Future Islands takes it to the hilt every night. "Singles," the band's third album, provides evidence of that: Herring's performances are fully embodied and often near-maniacal. Like the Fixx's Cy Curnin, he often seems like he's in the midst of a exorcism. But while the melodies are consistently hummable, neither the song construction nor the synthesizer sounds distinguish the material from the music of Future Islands' peers. The mood, too, vacillates between somber and grandiose in time-tested synthpop style. The slow throb of "A Song for Our Grandfathers" and the electric pulse of "Back in the Tall Grass" provide a mesmerizing backdrop for Herring's wail. But there's nothing here that a veteran of the 1980s wouldn't call awfully familiar.

— Tris McCall

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